In recent years, automotive engines which utilize gasoline as a fuel therefor have required, due to technological advances, gasolines which possess a relatively high octane rating. This high octane rating is necessary in order to prevent premature ignition of the fuel in the engine, thus resulting in what is commonly known as a "knock." One method of obtaining the necessary octane rating which will prevent this malfunction is to prepare a blend of additives in a gasoline obtained by conventional refining processes as opposed to more expensive refining operations which will produce a gasoline having a high octane rating per se. Among organic compounds which themselves possess high octane ratings and are therefore utilized as additives to boost the octane rating of relatively low grade gasolines are aromatics and highly branched olefins or paraffins. It is therefore necessary to provide a process for obtaining the latter compounds, that is, the highly branched olefins or paraffins which may be utilized as additives to improve the octane rating of gasolines or, if so desired, may be utilized themselves as a high octane gasoline.
As will hereinafter be shown in greater detail, it has now been discovered that highly branched chain compounds may be obtained from normal olefins utilizing a particular type of acidic catalyst.